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Govt invites tenders to buy cars for MLAs
Patiala MC cracks whip on house tax defaulters
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Mid-term review of
SAD-BJP government: Infrastructure
Speaker summons MLA Nagra, SDM
SAD ‘diktat’ has pvt transporters in dilemma
Will act against erring revenue officials: Majithia
Replace Bajwa, demands Singla
Cong protests ‘anti-people’ policies of state govt
Protesting college guest faculty vow to teach govt a lesson
BPL families being given infested grain, say activists
Review moisture content norm, demand FCI staff
Amloh residents to intensify stir against distillery
Specialist doctors to leave for J&K
Happy Seeder popular among farmers
2 years on, trade in trouble at ICP
Suspended IG Cheema applies for bail
Monument in memory of Guru Ravidass on anvil
Panchayat members stage dharna
Gurdaspur college shines in GNDU fest
SGPC starts restoration work on five forts
SGPC flays attack on gurdwaras in Greece
HC to examine delay in local body elections
Lawyers warned against illegal construction
Man convicted for mother’s murder
BJP leader booked for abetment to suicide
Truck union row turns ugly, 1 hurt
Recovery of carcasses:
2 sent to police remand
34 rocket launchers found in canal
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Govt invites tenders to buy cars for MLAs
Chandigarh, September 23 The deal would be finalised only when the Ministry of Finance clears the budget. Finance Minister Parminder Dhindsa said the proposal to buy cars for ministers and chief parliamentary secretaries had not reached him so far. “I have cleared the proposal for buying Toyota Innova vehicles for MLAs (who are not ministers or chief parliamentary secretaries). Most of the beneficiary MLAs are from the Congress. They have been demanding new cars for some time, although in public they accuse government of overspending.” The state Transport Commission is the nodal agency for buying the cars. It has called tenders from dealers of Toyota Kirloskar Motors as the government plans to buy 78 Toyota Innova, 17 Toyota Camry W5 and 18 Toyota Corolla Altis. Interestingly, sources in the Transport Commission said the dealers from outside Punjab might be preferred as the government would not have to pay VAT to them. Mahesh Garg, Joint State Transport Commissioner, said only the tenders had been called. “After finalising the best deal, we will send a proposal to the Finance Ministry for clearance.” The issue has cropped up several times in the past. The ruling and the opposition MLAs are united on the matter. A number of Congress MLAs have alleged that the government was not replacing their vehicles despite their poor condition. The government had last year faced flak when it started the process to buy new cars. Salaries of several categories of employees have been delayed in the recent past. Even deputy commissioners in a recent meeting aired concerns over shortage of funds. The government has not even reimbursed fuel bills incurred by MLAs since February, sources claimed. Luxury amid crunch *
The cars would cost the state exchequer ~18 crore * The Transport Commissioner has invited tender from Toyota dealers *
The government plans to buy 78 Innova, 17 Camry W5 and 18 Corolla Altis *
Even the Opposition Congress MLAs would benefit from the scheme.
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Patiala MC cracks whip on house tax defaulters
Patiala, September 23 However, the corporation exempted Rajindra Gymkhana Club, which is the biggest club of the area with several VIP members. The MC gave the club 24 hours to pay its house tax that amounts to around Rs 78 lakh. The club has not paid its house tax return for the past over 15 years. Three of the sealed units were opened after they cleared their dues. Joint Commissioner Nazar Singh said one of the units in SST Nagar deposited its arrears of Rs 87,000 and a unit in Sirhindi Gate deposited its arrears of Rs 2.5 lakh. He further said the owners of Delhi Plaza had deposited two post-dated cheques of Rs 7.5 lakh and Rs 15 lakh against their pending payment of Rs 30 lakh. Nazar Singh said the properties would be attached and auctioned if the owners failed to clear their dues. Meanwhile, the corporation has shot off letters to state Finance Department to seize bank accounts of the public departments that are defaulting on tax.
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Mid-term review of
SAD-BJP government: Infrastructure
Chandigarh, September 23 Most road projects have remained either on paper or have missed the deadline. Barring a few roads, such as the Bhawanigarh-Mansa-Bathinda road, the Khadoor Sahib-Kapurthala road, the Moga-Bathinda road and the Ropar-Jalandhar road, it is a bumpy ride on all other roads. The process for inviting and finalising tenders for the four-lane and six-lane road projects has yet to be completed. Airconditioned bus stands remain a distant dream. However, the government has done well in providing link roads. The PWD claims to have spent Rs 600 crore already and more money is likely to be received from the Centre under the Prime Minister Gramin Sadak Yojna. While inter-city roads remains a far cry, the state has failed to provide adequate connectivity even with the state capital,Chandigarh. Travelling on the Chandigarh-Patiala road via Zirakpur and another via Sirhind remains a nightmare for commuters.The Pathankot-Amritsar road is in a poor state. The Amritsar-Bathinda four-lane project is yet to take off. The condition of the Zirakpur-Patiala-Sangrur-Bathinda highway is deplorable. The government has uprooted 96,000 trees. Yet the project remains on paper alone. The government claims that work on the project will start by January next year. Conceived 11 years ago, the Ludhiana (southern) bypass has missed the deadline four times. Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal had inaugurated a section of the project before the Assembly elections in 2012, drawing criticism. Half completed flyovers, diversions and slow traffic remain major irritants. The Ludhiana stretch of NH-1 is in poor condition. Work on the
Ludhiana-Moga-Ferozepur highway is stuck. Unkept promises * Rs 400 cr southern bypass, Ludhiana, project Missed deadline thrice. May be completed by year-end *
Rs 200 cr Ropar bypass A section of the road till IIT Ropar
and the bridge over Sirhind canal completed * Rs 30 crore bridge over the Chakki river on the Mirthal-Dinanagar road Deadline: October 2014 *
Rs 65 crore bridge over the Sutlej near Mattewara Deadline: December 2014 *
Rs 50 crore bridge over the Beas at Dhanoa Pattan Deadline: Dec, 2014 * Work on construction of railway overbridges at
Gobindgarh, Malerkotla, Patiala, Kapurthala, Sahnewal and Mukerian started * Widening of Ropar-Chamkaur
Sahib-Neelon Doraha road along the Sirhind Canal, Ropar Agreement signed on October 2011; project may be operational by
mid-2015 * Morinda-Kurali-Siswan road Project likely to become operational by July, 2015 * Kotkapura-Muktsar road Likely to be operational by July, 2015 * Authorised testing stations and automated driving test tracks in each district under PPP mode Work allocation likely by November this year * Zirakpur-Patiala-Sangrur-Bathinda highway Project delayed, contractors withdraw; fresh tenders likely in January *
Four-laning of Pathankot-Mukerian,Dhilwan-Amritsar-Attari, Kurali-Kiratpur Sahib
Bhogpur-Mukerian, Amritsar-Pathankot, Ludhiana-Moga-Talwandi Bhai and Jalandhar-Dhilwan highways Completion by March 2015 *
Amritsar-Tarn Taran-Zira-Mudki-Faridkot-Bathinda highway; Chandigarh-Kharar-Ludhiana highway; Kharar-Kurali highway; Jalandhar-Moga-Barnala highway; Zirakpur-Patiala-Sangrur-Barnala-Bathinda highway; and Sangrur-Patran highway up to Haryana border * Work To begin by April, 2015 * Amritsar Bus Metro Work on the Bus Rapid Transport system corridors started; system may be operational by November, 2015 * Ludhiana Rapid Bus Transport system Project proposal submitted to Centre for funding * International Airport, Mohali Completion in 2015 * Bhatinda airport Terminal completed * Sahnewal airport Work on expanding the runway to 7,500 ft yet to begin * Greenfield project,
Machhiwara The project remains on paper only The growth in infrastructure in the past two-and-half years has been unprecedented. We are in the process of inviting tenders for seven railway
overbridges. Four bridges over rivers will be completed by March next year. We have laid 1,459 km of roads under the Prime Minister Gram Sadak Yojna
— Janmeja Singh Sekhon, PWD minister Basic facilities are missing. Roads, even in the main cities, are potholed. The Deputy CM had promised to connect all district headquarters. But even the state capital (Chandigarh) is yet to get such connectivity. The government is bankrupt. Most schools are without benches and toilets.
— Partap S Bajwa, ex- PWD minister Punjab has done well in providing core infrastructure. But reforms needed to sustain this infrastructure have not been initiated.
Efforts to promote road safety have yet to be started. We have only 12 operational speed guns to check over-speeding.
— Navdeep Asija Singh, road safety Although several projects have been started, none has been completed so far. The Deputy Chief Minister had announced that major cities would be connected by four-lane highways.This has not been done. At least 5,000 die on Punjab's killer roads every year
— Kamaljit Soi, road safety activist
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Speaker summons MLA Nagra, SDM
Chandigarh, September 23 The two had allegedly indulged in a verbal duel over the issue of removing encroachments from the Sirhind Grain market on September 15. Atwal said he had summoned both MLA and the SDM tomorrow. “I will decide on further action only after hearing them,” he said. A delegation of Congress MLAs led by Sunil Jakhar, today submitted a memorandum to the Speaker seeking protection of the dignity of an elected representative. Talking to the media, Jakhar said they were fighting not just for the opposition MLAs but also for ruling legislators many of whom did not get due respect. Nagra had accused the SDM of breach of protocol during a meeting at the Sirhind Municipal Committee office on September 15. The SDM, on the other hand, had accused the COngress MLA of using foul language.
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SAD ‘diktat’ has pvt transporters in dilemma
Mansa, September 23 A transport union leader said: "We would face a huge loss as the transporters would be paid only for the fuel cost whereas loss of their one day's earning is not being counted. Not a single bus from Orbit Transport, which is owned by the Badals, is being deployed." The INLD is organising the rally on the occasion of birth anniversary of Chaudhary Devi Lal. Since the Chautalas have friendly relations with the Badal family, Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal has offered to campaign for INLD candidates in Haryana. A number of Akali leaders would also reach Jind to campaign for the INLD. On other hand, BJP leaders from Punjab are camping in the neighbouring state to campaign for party candidates. Despite their opposition, the Badals have decided to support BJP's rival INLD in the Haryana Assembly elections.
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Cong sets terms for backing package
Chandigarh, September 23 Sunil Jakhar, Congress Legislature Party Leader, and Laal Singh, former Finance Minister, told mediapersons that the government was “befooling” the people of the state and the Central Government over the issue. “The debt incurred on fighting terrorism was Rs 15,000 crore. I wonder how it became Rs 1.13 lakh crore,” claimed Lal Singh. He said the state’s debt was Rs 32,000 crore in 2002 and Rs 48,000 crore in 2007 when the Akalis took over and now it had touched Rs 1.13 lakh
crore. He said Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had earlier claimed that the Inder Kumar Gujral government had written off the debt incurred for fighting terrorism, but now he was again talking about the same debt. Jakhar said the Congress had raised the issue of the state’s mounting debt several times in the Assembly, but the government never came out with a clear picture. “I ask the government to come clear on the matter and we will stand by it on its demand for a financial package.” CM must first set his house in order: Capt The Congress Deputy Leader in the Lok Sabha, Capt Amarinder Singh, today said that it was “outrageously ridiculous” for the Chief Minister to beg the Prime Minister to waive the state’s Rs 1.02 lakh crore debt. Instead, he should “set his own house in order”. In a statement, he said Badal, despite having served as CM for so long, did not know the procedure for sorting out financial matters with the Centre. “It is wrong to exclusively blame militancy for the financial crisis in Punjab. It is actually Badal’s mismanagement and lack of vision to handle economy that has led to the present mess, so much so that he and his son, Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal, have had to beg the Centre to bail out the state,” he said. “Badal presumes that just as he distributes grants at Sangat Darshan programmes, he too may be given grants by the Centre,” he said. He pointed out the issue raised by the CM had already been dealt with by the 13th Finance Commission that wanted Punjab and two other states to meet certain conditions, such as reducing the revenue deficit, so their debt could be re-worked. Amarinder Singh said Badal had always accused the UPA government of discriminating against Punjab. “He must have realised now that while Dr Manmohan Singh never let him (Badal) return empty-handed, Modi and his Finance Minster have cold-shouldered his demands,” he said. We have been assured of all help: Sukhbir Chandigarh:
Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal today claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised fiscal aid to Punjab during their meeting in New Delhi yesterday. He said the government was working hard to fulfill all commitments made to the people of Punjab by 2016. On laptops for school students, he said the Education Department would soon finalise the scheme. He said 30 per cent work on wi-fi connectivity had been finished and the remaining would be completed within a year. “After cent per cent wi-fi connectivity in the state, all educational institutions would be equipped with computers,” the Deputy CM said. He said the state had demanded a debt waiver and a refund of Rs 2,694 crore paid as interest on special term loan amounting to Rs 5,800 crore for fighting militancy. He said the PM had assured him that all pending issues pertaining to Punjab would be resolved. — TNS
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Will act against erring revenue officials: Majithia
Nawanshahr, September 23 Speaking to The Tribune after laying the stone of a subdivisional complex at Banga, Majithia said: “Not only will the undervalued amount be recovered, but action will be initiated against the erring officials too.” Senior department officials had told the Revenue Minister that some sub-registrars were showing commercial properties as residential during registries in lieu of kickbacks. Subsequently, the Revenue Department last year hired two consultancies – Price Waterhouse Coopers and KPMG- to scrutinise documents to ascertain whether the registered deeds were in accordance with the actual market value of the properties. Asked if the Arun Jaitley’s defeat from Amritsar had proved dear with the Union Finance Minister refusing to give a special package to Punjab, Majithia said: “There is no bitterness between us. We are satisfied with the response of the Narendra Modi government to issues concerning Punjab. Jaitley’s letter is being misinterpreted. Modi’s heart beats for Punjab and Jaitley is a magnanimous person.”
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Replace Bajwa, demands Singla
Bathinda, September 23 He said he had recently met top party leaders in New Delhi. He refrained from giving details of the meeting, but said: “He (Bajwa) had lost the Lok Sabha election from Gurdaspur by a huge margin of more than 1.36 lakh votes. Besides, the party faced defeat in the Talwandi Sabo byelection where campaigning was organised by him.” Singla said: “Bajwa is president of the PPCC, but he is not my leader. My leader is Capt Amarinder Singh.” At a press conference here, he showed a copy of letter written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking inclusion of Bathinda in the list of 100 cities proposed to be upgraded under a special programme. He asked the Chief Minister to approach Modi and demand a “smart city” status for Bathinda. The press conference underlining Singla’s “love” for Bathinda came on the day when the PPCC chief assigned duties for organisational affairs in all districts in view the municipal poll. The former minister said: “It was Manpreet who had levied unreasonable taxes and brought the state under huge debt.”
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Cong protests ‘anti-people’ policies of state govt
Gurdaspur, September 23 A memorandum was handed over to Deputy Commissioner Abhinav Trikha. Bahl said the government had failed to check the spiralling prices of sand and gravel. “Other issues we are protesting against are exorbitant VAT being imposed on traders, steep hike in electricity charges, false cases being registered against Congress workers and unsanitary conditions in the Gurdaspur city,” he said.
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Protesting college guest faculty vow to teach govt a lesson
Chandigarh, September 23 Of the total sanctioned strength of 1,800 lecturers in 53 government colleges, 760 were guest faculty teachers. They are paid Rs 175 per lecture, subject to a maximum of Rs 10,000 per month. Also, they are retained on job for only seven months in a year —- August to February. There are three kinds of teachers in colleges, though all perform the same job. Compared to guest faculty, regular teachers are paid Rs 55,000 to Rs 1 lakh a month. The part-timers get Rs 46,000 (basic pay plus dearness allowance).
Nabha said only a few colleges had implemented the state Cabinet decision to pay them Rs 10,000 per month in lump sum. Another demand was that their services should be brought under contract system once they completed five years in job. “The Cabinet decided on November 26, 2011, that guest faculty teachers will be given Rs 10,000 a month. The Finance Department intimated the decision to all concerned. Still, hardly any college is paying heed,” said a union leader. The amount of Rs 10,000 per month was being paid from the Parent Teachers Association (PTA) fund. “The government has back-tracked on its promise of paying Rs 3,000 while Rs 7,000 was to be paid from the PTA fund. The decision to give 10 per cent annual hike too has been on hold for the past three years, said
Harminder.
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BPL families being given infested grain, say activists
Hoshiarpur, September 23 The party has demanded that the supply of infested food grain be stopped immediately and strict action be taken against the firm supplying the food grain and food inspectors who allowed distribution. Social Democratic Party president Jai Gopal Dhiman, while addressing a press conference at the Hoshiarpur Press Club, said, “The provision of unhygienic food to people is punishable under the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act and the Food Safety and Standards Act, but what if the state government itself is doing that. The firm responsible for supplying these packets should be severely fined so that it may refrain from doing such thing in future.” He displayed packets of whole gram containing pests. Dhiman said if the government was serious about providing food to the poor, it should also take care of the quality of the food being provided. “When we brought the matter to the notice of the Punsup director, he said they would inquire into the matter. How can an issue pertaining to the health of people be left waiting for the outcome of an inquiry? The supply should be immediately stopped and the firm supplying should be booked for it,” said Dhiman. The District Food and Supplies Controller could not be contacted for his comment. Action sought *
A team of the Social Democratic Party has procured packets of infested whole gram being sold at various depots in the state *
It has demanded that the supply of infested food grain be stopped immediately and strict action be taken against the firm supplying the food grain and food inspectors who allowed distribution
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Review moisture content norm, demand FCI staff
Fatehgarh Sahib, September 23 The association maintains Punjab and Haryana are rice-surplus states and contribute significantly to the central pool. Its members said paddy in these states was procured with up to 17 per cent moisture content. They said paddy was procured from farmers by state agencies and the FCI and later milled by rice millers. The latter would not mill paddy from December to March and wait till moisture content was lowered to 14 per cent, but in the process they would miss the deadline for delivering rice. — TNS
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Amloh residents to intensify stir against distillery
Amloh, September 23 People from all political parties have been urging the state government to cancel the licence of the company. They said the distillery would lead to health hazards and pollute the environment. Jagbir Singh Salana, who is spearheading the campaign against the setting up of the distillery, alleged they had approached several officials, but to no avail. Salana said the distillery would not only pollute the environment, but also affect the fertility of the soil. Gurdev Singh of Kumbhra village said the distillery was not even 100 metres away from a gurdwara in the area. They said that as per the law, even a liquor vend could not be opened near a gurdwara. The protesters said they would block the road again tomorrow as the state government had failed to redress their grievances. Harish Pahwa, Manager, Nahar Sugar Mill, where the distillery is to be set up, said the company had already got clearance from the Department of Environment and Pollution, Punjab. He said those leading the protest were misguiding the residents in the area. He said the distillery would not pollute the area. Pahwa said only two tube wells as opposed to 60 tube wells were being installed in the 25-acre plant. Amloh MLA Kaka Randeep Singh said the project was illegal as the Centre had notified that Amloh was one of the 80 towns with low groundwater. Khanna MLA Gurkirat Singh Kotli, Nabha MLA Sadhu Singh Dharamsot, SGPC member Ravinder Khalsa, Fatehgarh Sahib MP Harinder Singh Khalsa, and members of the BSP, the CPI and Bhartiya Kisan Union have also supported the protesters' cause
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Specialist doctors to leave for J&K
Patiala, September 23 The team, under the IMA Punjab Crisis Response Committee, will carry medicines and other relief material worth more than Rs 5 lakh. It will stay there for a week. Dr DS Bhullar, media and medico legal adviser of the association, said the city doctors in collaboration with an NGO, We the People of J&K, and Omaxe Mall had yesterday dispatched a truck containing foodgrain, clothes, grocery, some essential medicines and other eatables.
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Happy Seeder popular among farmers
Sangrur, September 23 The total number of machines will rise from 32 to 374 in the district. A farmer can sow wheat on five to six acres in a day with the machine, whereas he can sow the seeds on one acre in a day with the traditional method. Agriculture experts say sowing crop with the machine is also eco-friendly as farmers can sow wheat without having to burn paddy straw. Not burning the paddy straw will also help the farmers maintain the fertility of the soil. The District Agriculture Office had earlier organised seven camps in various blocks and one at the district headquarters to educate the farmers about the Happy Seeder machine. Eco-friendly device *
A farmer can sow wheat on five to six acres in a day with the machine, whereas he can sow the seeds on one acre in a day with the traditional method *
Experts say sowing crop with the machine is also eco-friendly as farmers can sow wheat without having to burn paddy straw
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2 years on, trade in trouble at ICP
Amritsar, September 23 Full truck scanner The traders have long been seeking installation of full truck scanners at the ICP to make sure there was foolproof mechanism in place to curb illegal activities like smuggling of contraband, which is rampant on the rail route. The repeated seizures of heroin in the cargo from Pakistan have already derailed cement import through the rail route. The traders apprehend that the dangerous trend may be replicated on the road route if preventive measures were not initiated urgently. Expansion of warehouses The traders also feel that there was need for expansion of warehousing facilities at the ICP in view of the increasing volume of trade between the two counties. Cement importers complain that they were having a tough time in getting their cement consignments from Pakistan as the ICP did not have adequate number of warehouses for its storage. According to them, the ICP authorities needed to double up the warehousing facility to cope up with the rush of cement stock being imported from Pakistan. Rationalise charges The traders allege that the Central Warehousing Corporation had fixed very high handling charges, which had made the trade economically unviable. They have been demanding that these charges be “reconsidered” in consultation with all stakeholders, including the traders, so that the trade was benefited. They have also demanded a limit 72 hours to lift their material from the ICP before being charged storage tariff like other ports in India. Coordination panel The traders have been demanding that the timings of the trade be further enhanced and it should be turned into a 24x7 trade hub. Besides, they wish to have a coordination panel comprising representatives of trade, LPAI, CWC, Customs and Ministry of Commerce for regular interaction and monitoring the ICP. They have also sought identity cards for all recognised importers and exporters. Transporters’ woes The transporters have been demanding that they be provided proper space where they could set up their office inside the ICP so as to manage their affairs. Besides, they also want the authorities to allow a helper along with truck driver inside the ICP as they could be needed in case of emergency. Perishables goods pile up While the stalemate between the striking transporters-traders and the ICP authorities continued today as well, the protesters decided to export perishable goods bound for Pakistan, apprehending that holding it back would lead to losses. Sources said over 100 truckloads of perishable goods like tomatoes were sent to Pakistan while an equal number of trucks loaded with different items arrived from the neighbouring nation. The arrival of 100 truckloads of goods from Pakistan had led to piling up of goods at the ICP as the transporters were not lifting imported goods. Besides, 104 trucks had arrived from Pakistan yesterday too. The transporters staged a protest outside the main entrance of the ICP after allowing trucks carrying perishable items.
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Suspended IG Cheema applies for bail
Mohali, September 23 On his application, the court of Additional District and Sessions Judge Tarsem Mangla has issued notices to Station House Officers concerned of two local police stations. They have been told to appear before the court on September 29 with their reply on the issue. Cheema was booked by the Mohali police in the alleged Kricpy Khaira molestation case, registered at Mataur police station on August 30. The other charge was for allegedly kidnapping a proclaimed offender, Sumedh Gulati, from Phase 1 police station on September 2. In the molestation case, two more persons, including a woman, were booked. The woman has already got interim bail from the court. On September 15, the Mohali court had issued arrest warrants for Cheema. The police were told to produce him before September 27.
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Monument in memory of Guru Ravidass on anvil
Hoshiarpur, September 23 The estimated cost of the monument was Rs 100 crore, he said. He said this during his visit to Khuralgarh. Thandal said the process of acquiring the land for the project had been started. He took stock of the project plan and directed the district administration to speed up the acquisition process. The project The Minister for Tourism and Cultural Affairs said the
Rs 100-crore monument would be built over 15 acres of land at Khuralgarh village in Garhshankar sub-division of the district
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Panchayat members stage dharna
Sangrur, September 23 Leaders of the union said there was no need for sarpanches to submit resignations as that would serve no purpose.
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Gurdaspur college shines in GNDU fest
Dinanagar (Gurdaspur), September 23 This is the seventh time that the college bagged the honour. Girls of the college stood first in poster-making, installation, landscape and photography. The college came second in group song, folk song, classical vocal, western vocal and elocution and stood third in skit, mimicry, poetical symposium and kavishri. Radhu Salaria was declared the best dancer. Principal Nirmal Pandhi said they would soon be felicitated at a function. — TNS
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SGPC starts restoration work on five forts
Anandpur Sahib, September 23 Sant Labh Singh has been handed over the kar sewa of Anandgarh Sahib Fort, while Sant Dilbagh Singh and Baba Sulakhar Singh have taken up kar sewa of Taragarh Fort. Baba Amrik Singh and Baba Joginder Singh Dumeliwale will restore Holgarh and Lohgarh Forts, respectively. Fort Fatehgarh Sahib will be restored by Baba Bachan Singh from Delhi. SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar said 15 nagar kirtan processions from different parts of the country would soon arrive in Anandpur Sahib.
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SGPC flays attack on gurdwaras in Greece
Amritsar, September 23 He said the incident had hurt the sentiments of Sikhs across the globe. He said the religious places always gave a message of peace and communal harmony, but communal forces always looked for an opportunity to disturb the peace. Anandpur Sahib: Meanwhile, the restoration work on five forts built by Guru Gobind Singh was started by Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee here today. The restoration of the forts is part of a year-long celebration of the 350th anniversary of Anandpur Sahib, which was founded on June 19. Sant Labh Singh has been handed over the kar sewa of Anandgarh Sahib Fort, while Sant Dilbagh Singh and Baba Sulakhar Singh have taken up kar sewa of Taragarh Fort. Baba Amrik Singh and Baba Joginder Singh Dumeliwale will restore Holgarh and Lohgarh Forts, respectively. Fort Fatehgarh Sahib will be restored by Baba Bachan Singh from Delhi. SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar said 15 nagar kirtan processions from different parts of the country would soon arrive in Anandpur Sahib.
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HC to examine delay in local body elections
Chandigarh, September 23 The orders came after Justice Rajan Gupta found contradictions in the stand taken by the Centre and the State of Punjab on the holding of elections. The State counsel, on May 26, had submitted that the government in May last year took a conscious decision to hold elections to all local bodies, which had outlived term. But the decision could not be implemented due to non-availability of population figures on the basis of last Census, consequent delimitation of wards, intervening parliamentary elections, non-availability of electronic voting machines and other election machinery. Later in July this year, the State Election Commission, in its affidavit, took the stand that its role would commence only after issuance of notification by the government under the provisions of the Punjab Municipal Act.
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Lawyers warned against illegal construction
Phagwara, September 23 Lawyers had held a strike yesterday to protest against the SDM for stopping the construction of new chambers with the help of the police. The SDM, in his notice, narrated the entire episode of Monday, saying a deputation of the lawyers had met him at his office, but despite efforts, they did not agree to halt the illegal construction. He said the lawyers left the meeting midway and started raising slogans in front of his office. The SDM, in his notice issued here last night, has warned strict legal action against the violators. The Phagwara Bar Association has appealed to the Bar Associations of other districts to support their demands of early construction of new chambers and withdrawal of the orders to demolish them. Lawyers claimed that the Bar Associations of Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Nawanshahar, Garhshankar and Phillaur had also joined their protest and observed strike today. Phagwara Bar Association president RK Bhatia said they would continue their stir till their demands are met. The SDM maintained this evening that no illegal construction would be allowed to anybody. The notice was pasted on a wall near the local Bar Room as the lawyers concerned did not receive the notice. Bhatia has called a meeting on Wednesday to finalise the future course of action. The SDM-Bar body spat *
Phagwara lawyers had started a strike on Monday to protest against the SDM for taking police’s help in stopping the construction of new chambers in the Tehsil Complex *
They have appealed to Bar Associations of other districts to support their demands of early construction of the chambers and withdrawal of the orders to demolish them
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Man convicted for mother’s murder
Hoshiarpur, September 23 Jagtar singh was booked by the Dasuya police on September 5, 2013, for the murder. He had beaten his mother to death with an iron rod. His brother had filed the complaint. A fine of Rs 10,000 has also been imposed on Jagtar. — OC
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BJP leader booked for abetment to suicide
Faridkot, September 23 Amit Parkash, son of Gyatri Parkash, died under mysterious circumstances. A month ago, a widow had accused him of taking Rs 45,000 from her on the pretext of getting her employed as an anganwadi worker. The police had then started an inquiry against Amit. It is alleged that due to the complaint, Amit’s father was replaced from the district president’s post on September 21. Though Amit was cremated yesterday, his wife Poonam Sharma complained to the police today. She accused Parveen Gupta (former BJP district president), Sunil Singla, Sanjeev Kumar and the widow, Komal Sharma, of hatching a conspiracy against her husband and father-in-law to tarnish their image. She alleged the conspiracy led to her father-in-law being removed from the district chief’s post and her husband committing suicide. Kotkapura Station House Officer Amritpal Singh confirmed a case of abetment to suicide had been registered against Gupta and three others. Gupta refuted the allegations saying he had nothing to do with Amit’s death. “It is shocking that Amit’s wife is accusing me for his death. I have nothing to do with the complaint that Komal Sharma had lodged,” claimed Gupta. Gyatri Parkash alleged it was a conspiracy hatched by his rivals within party to tarnish his image. The economic offences wing of the Faridkot police had started an inquiry into the allegation after the widow made a complaint to the Senior Superintendent of Police.
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Truck union row turns ugly, 1 hurt
Moga, September 23 The victim was supervising the work of loading and unloading of foodgrain in trucks opposite a petrol pump on the Zira road. Though Gurmeet was carrying a revolver, the attackers took him by surprise by attacking him from behind. He received multiple injuries on his arms and legs. He was rushed to a private hospital from where he was referred to Dayanand Medical College and Hospital in Ludhiana. His condition was stated to be critical. Sources said the assailants took away his revolver and Rs 50,000. The police have begun investigations into this incident. There has been a dispute within Akali groups over the control of the truck union for the past many months. The administration has already made several efforts to resolve the matter amicably.
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Recovery of carcasses:
2 sent to police remand
Sangrur, September 23 Sangrur Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Mandeep Singh Sidhu said all the six accused were residents of Krishanganj district in Bihar. Sidhu said they worked as labourers at various dairy farms in Malerkotla. He said Farookh, Sohail, Mushtaq and Alam, the kingpin of the gang, were still absconding. The SSP said both the accused had confessed to killing two cows, the carcasses of which were recovered from a drain in Malerkotla on September 10. The gang members had been killing the animals to earn additional income. The postmortem report of the carcasses revealed that one of the animals had been killed in the beginning of September and the other in July, he said. He said the accused would catch stray cattle and killed these at night. Sidhu said the gang would hand over the carcasses to Alam. He said it was unclear what Alam would do with the carcasses. The SSP said the district police had sent two teams to Bihar to locate and nab the other four accused. Sidhu said the police had also recovered a sharp-edged weapon and a rope, used to catch the cattle. Sidhu said the police had also added Section 295-A to the FIR, registered under the Cow Slaughter Act-1955 against unknown persons at Malerkotla police station on September 10. He said a Special Investigation Team had been constituted to crack the case. Modus operandi *
The police said the accused would catch stray cattle and killed these at night *
The gang would then hand over the carcasses to Alam, kingpin of the gang *
The police said it was unclear what Alam would do with the carcasses
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34 rocket launchers found in canal
Fatehgarh Sahib, September 23 Balwant Singh, Superintendent of Police (SP), Detective said farmers Satinder Singh Rana and Baldev Singh, residents of Mullanpur Khurd, found the ammunition in the canal while they were working in the fields. They informed the police, which further sought the services of bomb disposal team from the Punjab Armed Police (PAP), Jalandhar, to recover the ammunition. The SP claimed a scrap dealer, who might have discovered the ammunition, dumped the weapons fearing police action. — TNS
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After failing to buy cars for ministers and MLAs last year due to paucity of funds, the cash-starved state has started the process of buying 113 luxury cars by calling tenders. The cars would cost Rs 18 crore to the state exchequer.
Revenue Minister Bikram Singh Majithia has said that the consolidated report pertaining to the under-valuation of registration deeds of properties throughout the state is complete. He said that instructions to Revenue Department officials had been issued to recover the undervalued amount from the buyer besides initiating disciplinary action against the erring officials.
The strike by transporters at the Integrated Check Post (ICP) in Attari has brought to fore the need to address various problems plaguing the facility. The protesters have been enjoying the support of the trading community. The facility had become the first ICP to get operational in the country when it was inaugurated around two and a half years ago.
Minister Speak 
What experts say 
The Government Colleges Guest Faculty Lecturers Union has now served a week’s ultimatum to the government. The teachers have warned that they would proceed on strike if their demands were not met. 
“We have waited for long, but without any success. An allowance of Rs 175 per lecture is nothing but a joke. Now the path of agitation appears to be the only alternative. For the same job, our regular counterparts are taking home Rs 1 lakh a month,” said Harminder Singh Nabha, union president.